After concerns were raised that the visit may have violated the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement, Saban said he met with Manning and Gase separately.

“I’m like shocked that anybody would think someone did anything wrong on their part,” Saban told The Denver Post. “I never met with Adam. When I talked with him I talked about his family. Peyton, we talked an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon. Adam had been talking to our assistant coaches. I never talked with Adam about football.”

The Denver Post asked Saban if he ever met with Manning and Gase at the same time.

“Only to say hello and b.s. with each other,” Saban said. “Adam came Monday and talked to the offensive coaches and some of the defensive coaches. I know he talked with Kirby (Smart, the Crimson Tide’s defensive coordinator). He and I just visited casually. We didn’t talk football. Adam was with me through two different college programs (at Michigan State and LSU).

“And Peyton, we were just talking ball. We talked about particular defenses that give us trouble with the no-huddle. Things like that.”

Article 21, section 2 (a)(ii) of the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement states that before the team’s offseason program begins, “players are not permitted to participate in Club-supervised workouts, Club-supervised practices, group or individual meetings with coaches, group or individual film study with coaches, or group or individual playbook study with coaches.”

According to The Denver Post, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the league is “looking into” the matter.

“Peyton had called and said he wanted to drop by,” Saban said. “Adam had already been around for a couple days when Peyton showed up. It was kind of a coincidence that they were around at the same time. I don’t know if they left together but I know they didn’t arrive here together.

“I was asked about their visit at my coach’s clinic press conference but I never said we sat down together. Because we didn’t. That’s what happens when people assume.”